Finding Sleep

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: And here we continue with chapter 3 which is actually more of a continuation of chapter 2. What else are the two bandits planning on doing on their first night at the Plaza?

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry was the first one to wake from the nap the two bandits had ended up taking; though he didn't wake up right away. There was a brief moment before he realized where he was. His mind was still set on the jail cell the two of them had been confined in for the past year, so when he did not feel the immediate coldness of the cell it made his mind wonder exactly where he was.

He was lying against something warm and firm. Harry blinked his eyes open and found himself looking out at a beautiful hotel bedroom. Memories of the events from earlier that day came flying back to him and he finally remembered how he and Marv had managed to get a room at the Plaza. Without moving too much, Harry glanced up at Marv to find that he was passed out. He could see the taller man lying there with his head against the pillow, a little bit of drool falling out from the side of his mouth.

"Wake up, Marv" whispered Harry, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. Marv continued to sleep without knowing any better. Harry rolled his eyes as he took a hand and gently flicked the other man on the nose. Marv furrowed his brow, a frown appearing on his face as this clearly bothered him; yet he remained sleeping. Harry sat up a bit more. "Marv!" he now spoke louder. He grabbed Marv's hand and squeezed it. "Marv, wake up!"

Marv groaned, starting to shift in place as he started to stretch and wake up. "Mmmm….what?"

"Come on, get up."

"Why?"

"We gotta go get food."

"Uh….later…" with that Marv completely turned around so that he was facing away from Harry, unwinding his arm from around Harry's shoulder and around the big fluffy red pillow his head was currently laying on.

With a sigh of exasperation, Harry shook his head as he stood up. "Ya bitch and moan that I never give ya attention….Never give ya kisses….I finally do and you're too busy sleepin'! Just my luck!" grumbled the short-tempered man as he rolled off the bed.

He paused though when he heard his partner mumble sleepily, "Sorry, Harry…..I'm jus' really tired…" his words were kind of slurred from his drowsy state. Harry hadn't thought Marv had heard him complaining; having assumed he was too deep asleep. His anger seemed to melt away at Marv's words.

"It's okay, Marv. I'll let ya sleep for another half hour. Maybe I can find the laundry room and clean our clothes, eh?" He said these words more gently. He didn't receive an answer, nor did he expect one. He looked around the floor as he sat at the edge of the bed. He saw Marv's shirts strewn about and he stood and started gathering them up. They had both taken showers, sure, but their clothes still reeked of fish and sweat. That wouldn't do. A part of him considered just throwing these clothes out after buying complete new ones, but he didn't want to use the credit card any more than he needed to. The girl he'd stolen it from might have discovered it was missing, but hopefully didn't suspect someone had stolen it. If they were lucky, she just got a new card. Hopefully she wouldn't discover that they were charging on her credit card until a few more days. At least until they could get some proper money from a heist.

He gathered up Marv's clothes along with his own. He couldn't wash his own pants, since he needed to wear them to the laundry room, but he could wash Marv's. He glanced at Marv on the bed. "Marv!" he called over. Marv reacted quicker this time.

"Yeah, Harry. Is my half hour up?"

"No, Marv. Take off your pants."

"Been a long time since you've told me to do that, Harry" smirked Marv playfully. His eyes were still firmly shut as he rested on the bed, but his lips had formed into a large grin.

Catching the innuendo, Harry snapped, "Not for that, ya pervert! I wanna wash 'em before we go out tonight!"

"Oh…." Was all Marv said in replied, a hint of disappointment in his voice, yet it went unnoticed by Harry. Marv sluggishly unzipped his pants and started yanking them awkwardly off his waist and legs, determined not to be removed from his pillow. Once they were off he threw them to where he guessed Harry was by the sound of the other's voice. Marv had almost been right; it missed Harry by about a foot.

Harry collected Marv's pants and placed everything in a pile on a chair. He went into the bathroom, hoping to find a basket of some sort. Surely a fancy hotel such as this would offer laundry baskets. He didn't quite know.

He was in luck as he spotted a white plastic basket. However, there was a paper clipped onto it from the hotel staff, saying how if there was any laundry to be done, the hotel maids would see to it. Harry ignored this with a huff. "No hotel stranger is touching MY stuff…" he mumbled with resolve. He brought the basket out and put their clothes inside. He had thrown in as many of his own clothes as he could, minus his pants and white short sleeved shirt. Perhaps he could spray some cologne or wash them by hand. He dismissed the thought as he grabbed his key to the room and headed out the door in search for the laundry room. He glanced back at Marv one last time from the front room.

"I'm leavin' to do the laundry, Marv!" he called. When he received no answer he shook his head. "I don't know why I put up with that guy…." He had said these words out of frustration, but he already knew the answer. He put up with Marv the way he did because he couldn't imagine his life without him. Marv, the lanky, clumsy, curly haired bandit who could barely read or write happened to be the most important thing to Harry Lyme, though whether he admitted this to anyone other than himself was an entirely different matter. For now though, he would continue to act indifferent on the matter.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

An hour later, Harry found himself still waiting for their clothes to be finished. He had just placed them in the dryer ten minutes prior. He had not anticipated waiting this long for their clothes; he had never been one to do laundry and therefore didn't know. He glanced over at one of the clocks on the wall in the hallway. It read that it was 7:09. It wasn't terribly late, though his stomach said otherwise. The last thing either of them had eaten that day had been the chicken sandwiches and drinks; food which had long been gone from their stomachs.

He had spoken to no one while in the laundry room; however he had seen several other guests. He didn't wish to speak with them anyways; he had nothing to say to high class society members who made people like him steal in the first place. Instead he had waited patiently for their clothes. He wondered if Marv was still asleep. He had told him he only had a half hour to sleep, yet here it was, an hour later, and Harry had yet to wake him.

Just as the dryer beeped happily to announce that their clothes were done drying, Harry watched as Cedric walked into the laundry room. "Hello, sir!" he greeted happily. He saw Harry pulling out his clothes. "Oh, you should have told us you wanted clothes cleaned. We would have happily done it for you!"

Harry just frowned at him as he pulled out their clothes. "I'm sure you would have, but we prefer to do our own clothes, thank you" he said tersely. His tone implied that it was the end of the conversation and Cedric could tell, for he flashed him a nervous smile and said no more.

As Harry placed the last of their clothes into the basket he caught Cedric putting up a pair of small red boxers up on a hanger after having written a small tag on it. He guessed they were to be steamed and pressed; though he couldn't think of anyone who would want their boxers steamed and pressed like that by a stranger. A plain old wash would have sufficed.

"Have a good night, sir" he heard Cedric say. Harry ignored him and walked out of the laundry room without another word.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Harry walked into the bedroom of their hotel room and found Marv still asleep. While he was gone Marv had pulled out the covers and crawled underneath them and buried his head underneath the pillows.

Harry shook his head with a tsk. "Wake up, Marv!" He felt a wave of déjà vu wash over him. "Marvin!"

The lump that was under the bed covers moved. "I'm up, Harry…" Marv pushed himself up, the pillows falling around him. His curly hair seemed even more unruly than ever as he emerged from his cocoon of warmth. He sat up on the bed, the covers going everywhere. He stretched and yawned; rubbing his eyes when he could. Marv made his way to the edge of the bed and sat there as he tried to wake himself up. "It's cold in here…." He shivered.

"That's cause you're wearin' nothin' but your boxers. I took your pants to wash 'em, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…." Slurred the taller man. Harry set the basket on a chair and walked over to Marv, shocking the other man when he leaned down kissed him on the lips. Marv was certainly awake now for his eyes were fully open and he seemed much more aware of his surroundings. Marv started to kiss back but Harry pulled away. Marv tried to hide his disappointment.

"Now, go ahead and pull your stuff outta the basket. Let's get dressed and how about you and I go eat a one of New York's finest restaurants?" Harry grinned, his mood seeming to get happier. He flashed a toothy grin at Marv, who couldn't help but return it. He didn't know why Harry was suddenly in such a good mood, nor did he understand the sudden abrupt kiss; yet he certainly was not complaining. He wished Harry would do that more often.

"Where are we going?" asked Marv as he stood and walked over to the basket. He dug out his pants and slipped them on.

Harry shrugged as he pulled his own clothes out. "I don't know. Someplace nice where we can sit down. I'm tired of fast food and eating on the run."

Marv nodded. "I agree." He had just finished putting his shirt on when he walked back into the bathroom. "It's a shame we don't have any cologne or anything. I also wouldn't mind some hair gel….or at least some hair spray. A comb wouldn't be bad either."

Harry was putting on his jacket as he looked into the bathroom. He found Marv staring at the mirror as he fussed over his hair. Marv had always taken pride in his hair and could always be found fretting over it. At their old place in Chicago, where they had stayed before they had gotten thrown in jail, Marv had had a collection of hair gel bottles and mousse for his hair. Personally Harry thought it to be too long and it often reminded him of an afro, but Marv refused to cut it. Harry didn't mind it too much though; he did enjoy running his hands through it.

"Would ya stop fussin' over your hair? I'm starvin'! Let's go!" he ordered, grabbing his hat and placing it firmly over his balding head.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'" groused Marv as he took one final look in the mirror to check his hair.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The two of them stepped out of the elevator, fully dressed in the clothes they had earlier that day. Neither had said anything, but both of them felt like new men in their clean clothes. As they started walking into the main area of the lobby, Harry noted that the concierge did not look happy in the least as he spoke to Cedric and the prim-looking woman from earlier that day. Marv seemed oblivious as he walked beside Harry, his bright eyes glancing all around to take in the elegant sights of the hotel lobby.

"They look upset" stated Harry quietly. "Like something is wrong."

"Who does?" queried Marv as his eyes traveled once again to the intricate reflective ceiling. Just as he had done earlier that day, he smiled and waved up at his reflection.

Harry pointed to the three staff members. "Those three."

Marv tore his eyes away from the ceiling to see who Harry was talking about. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with us. Don't worry so much."

"You don't know that."

"I sure don't, but I DO know, you need to take it easy, Harry! It could be anything that those three are fussin' over!" The taller bandit was truly getting tired of Harry's paranoia. He grabbed Harry's arm and guided him away from the three antsy staff members and to the front doors. "Let's just go enjoy ourselves!"

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

A half hour later, the two bandits found themselves comfortably seated in a Steakhouse Restaurant; the young male greeter at the door having just led them to their seats. The restaurant itself was dimly lit, having a country theme as its choice of décor. However it was not a flashy place, instead very simple and casual. The two of them had thought it would be best if they stayed away from the richer, classy bistros, mainly because Marv had tripped over a woman in high heels and a pencil skirt and spilled wine everywhere three steps after walking into the first restaurant they had encountered. The owner had kicked them out immediately not only for this fact but for their dress attire. Apparently that restaurant was black tie only.

"I can't even remember the last time I had a steak!" beamed Marv as he glanced over the menu.

Harry grabbed his own menu and nodded. "Neither can I. I actually can't remember the last REAL meal I've had!" Marv's long legs fit uncomfortably under the table and he shifted them in hopes to get more relaxed. In the process he hit Harry's leg. "You wanna take it easy there, Marv?"

"Sorry…." Mumbled Marv. "You know how it is with me and these seats sometimes…" Harry didn't reply, just read his menu. It was times like this when only Harry understood Marv. Marv was like a child, at times; an overgrown, innocent child. There was really nothing you couldn't love about the guy; he had a heart of gold, which he wore on his sleeve. He was loyal; perhaps a little too loyal in the case of Harry. It made the shorter man's heart ache a little as he thought of the ways he had treated Marv; and the ways he STILL treated Marv. Not to mention all the trouble he had dragged Marv into. He loved the man to pieces, but there were just times when he grated on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts; having not been really reading the menu, when a female voice pierced through the air over their table. "Hello, my name is Kelly. I'll be your server this evening. Is there anything you gentlemen would like to start off with?"

Marv looked up at her with a smile; at least until she saw the way she was looking down at Harry. The woman was probably in her thirties with big blonde curly short hair and heavy eye make-up. The woman wore a shirt with the restaurant's logo on it, yet it came down just enough to show just a bit of cleavage. Marv frowned at her. "I'll start off with a light beer."

The woman almost flinched as he said this, her attention having been on Harry. "Oh, alright." She jotted down his order on her little pad of paper. "And for you, sir?" Marv could tell she was ignoring him. This was not the first time Harry had gotten all the female attention. He figured he should be used to it by now, but it still made Marv's blood boil to think some random lady was flirting with his Harry.

Harry finally looked up at her. He took a moment to take in her appearance before saying, "I'll have the same." He gave her a toothy smile, his gold tooth shining in the light. She gave a small giggle and walked off. Marv's frown deepened further. Harry looked over to his friend and blinked, "What?"

"Nothing, Harry…" sighed Marv, bringing up his menu to read it, hiding his face in the meantime. He didn't want Harry to get mad at him for getting jealous. He knew he shouldn't get so worked up but he also knew Harry was not nearly as in love with him as he was towards him. Or at least, he didn't think he was. Harry certainly hadn't given him a reason to believe otherwise.

Marv found what he wanted to order and placed down his menu, turning his attention to the candle that was sitting in the middle of the table. He took his two index fingers and started playing with the wax. Marv always feared the day when Harry would get tired of him tagging along everywhere he went. The two of them were best friends, sure, but even best friends could grow tired of each other. He couldn't imagine his life without Harry. He had no family, no friends; no one else to turn to if Harry was to ever leave him. He loved the man deeply with all of his heart and he wished so badly for Harry to return those feelings.

Back in Chicago, the two of them had grown close and fooled around all the time. They have said they loved one another many times and made love. For about six months before they were thrown in jail they had slept together in the same bed; nearly inseparable. Harry had always made it clear though that their relationship was to remain secret and between them. Marv had no problem with that; he still didn't. Yet ever since their time in jail, Harry had grown distant with him and he feared that the jail time had ruined what they had together. And it seemed that Harry was now three times more paranoid about showing affection than he was before.

Marv flinched as he burnt his finger slightly, his elbow nearly knocking the glass of water beside him. Harry put down his menu at the commotion. "I didn't think I'd have to tell you to not play with fire, Marv" teased Harry. Marv gave him a sideways grin.

"Heh, yeah…"

"Figured out what you want?"

"Yeah, I'm gettin' the steak burger." Marv placed his hands down in his lap.

"Nice. I thought about that. But I wanna try those ribs they have on special" Harry responded, putting his menu down.

Marv scratched the back of his neck as silence overtook the table. He debated whether or not to play with the candle or not. He figured he shouldn't. Harry had teased him once but he would probably scold him the second time.

"The waitress should be back soon. We'll order, eat, and then maybe hit a bar after this" stated Harry.

This caught Marv off guard as he looked up at his friend. "Really? A bar? After what happened the last time you were in one?"

Harry gave him a sarcastic smile. "Ha ha. Very funny. I won't be drinking that heavily. Maybe a beer or two." He paused. "After this one…"

Marv laughed at the memory. "Yeah, nothing says "I'm gay" better than a drunken man going around kissing every guy in sight" he paused as he pulled off his fingerless gloves. "You certainly gave yourself one hell of a reputation that night."

Harry frowned deeply as he placed his elbows out on the table. "Could ya keep it down?" he glanced nervously at the other guests.

"Aww, come one, Harry. No one is paying attention to us. 'Sides, I was only teasin'. I don't know why you get so upset anyways. Who cares what people think of ya—"

"I do!" snapped Harry, his previous good mood now gone. This made Marv flinch back a bit.

"Alright, here are your beers! Now, do you gents know what you would like to order?" came the soprano voice of the blonde waitress. She placed the beers out in front of them. She turned to Harry; once again ignoring Marv altogether. It had unnerved the curly haired man before but now it just flat out infuriated him.

Harry gave her another toothy smile. "Yes, my dear, I would like the ribs." He handed her the menu.

"Nice choice" she told him. She reluctantly tore her eyes away from Harry and over to Marv. "And for you?"

"I'll have the steak burger…..with fries…." He told her in a monotone voice. He didn't even look her in the eye.

She frowned at his attitude towards her and turned back to Harry. "Alright then, I will have your order put in and I'll be back to check on you."

"I'm sure you will…." Muttered Marv darkly, pulling out his straw and plopping into his glass of water. He ignored his beer.

The rest of the dinner went more or less the same. The blonde waitress continued to flirt with Harry as Marv silently fumed in his seat. The taller Wet Bandit had almost found the nerve to trip her as she went by just to make her look like a fool, but Marv couldn't find the courage to do it. Marv was not a mean person; though there were times when he wished he was.

It was not until they were walking back to the hotel did the two of them continue the conversation they had started at the restaurant. It was nighttime now, the sun having gone down hours ago. Neither of them were in good moods and had both forgotten the idea of heading to a bar.

"We need to stay focused anyway" Harry had said over the matter. "We can't get stupid and drunk."

Marv didn't really care. He had ignored the beer that he had ordered and drank the glass of water they'd been given with their beers. As they walked down the sidewalk, Christmas lights flashing everywhere they turned, Marv finally spoke up.

"Harry…. It's okay, you know. I understand….. You don't like people knowing—"

"I'm not gay!" retorted Harry, having already known what he was going to say.

Silence filled the gap between them. Marv pursed his lips a bit as he tried to figure out what to say next. He was never too good at dealing with Harry's temper and knew he was pretty much walking on eggshells when he was in this mood. It didn't help that the blonde waitress has gotten on his nerves and placed him in a bad mood himself. He decided to try making a joke out of it. "Well, the pains you've given me in my back and the hickeys you've left on my neck have said differently…"

Harry took in a deep breath, knowing it would do no good to snap harshly at Marv. The man was only stating the truth. Yet the truth was something Harry found himself having a hard time dealing with. "I like women" he stated bluntly.

Marv shrugged. "So do I. If that waitress hadn't been dead set on flirting with you, I woulda been flirtin' back with her. But she was interested only in you. Therefore, I'm played the jealous lover….." He paused as he figured out what the problem might be. "Harry, the only guy I've ever been with is you. And the only guy you've been with is me…. It's not so much that we're gay….We're just…..really attracted to each other." He shrugged timidly. "We….love….each other. Don't we?"

This last question held an imploring note to it which made Harry realize he could easily hurt Marv if he didn't answer correctly. He stopped glancing around the city around them and looked Marv straight in the eye. "Yeah….Marv….We love each other…" He whispered; the irritation out of his voice.

Marv smiled. "So, it's okay, Harry. I know you don't like people knowing."

Harry looked away. He didn't deserve someone as understanding as Marv. He didn't deserve someone who was so willing to forgive him even after he treated him so terribly. "I'm always saying to myself, 'why do I put up with Marv?'" Harry said suddenly. This made Marv blink. "When the real question should be, 'Why does MARV put up with ME?'" He gazed at Marv with a look of sorrow and blame.

"'Put up with you?'" echoed Marv. "I don't put up with you, Harry! You're my best friend! Sure, you're cranky sometimes and ya have a temper, but hey, everyone's got their flaws. I know I do. You point them out to me every day!" Marv laughed, clearly not offended by this.

Harry bit his upper lip as he raised his eyebrows. "Most people don't like having their flaws pointed out by their loved ones."

"Harry, I would sit next to you and get insulted and nagged at every day, so long as it means I get to be with you" justified Marv. Harry stopped dead in his tracks, making Marv stop and look back at him. No one had ever said such sweet words to him before. Harry Lyme had had his share of women over the years, yet clearly none of them had stuck around. He knew the reasons for this of course. He was bad tempered, rude, sarcastic. Sure, he was sweet to women and knew how to treat them properly, but at the end of the day, Harry's flaws came hurling their ugly heads at him and chased the women away. Marv, however, stayed by him no matter what.

Marv moved so that he was standing in front of Harry, looking down at him with interest. Harry gestured for him to lean down a bit like he was going to whisper something into his ear. As Marv leaned down though Harry gave him a kiss on the lips. It lasted only a second, but it sent shivers of pleasure down Marv's spine as his lips tingled blissfully. This had been more than just a kiss for Marv could feel that there had been more meaning behind it. Marv raised a hand to his mouth, replaying the kiss in his head. "Harry…?"

"I love ya, Marv" he breathed softly. "What you just said was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me….You take my flaws and push them aside…..No one has ever done that before. I can't….tell you how many of my relationships have ended because of my offensive nature and bad temper. But you….you completely ignore them….take them in stride….Which is probably why you've snuck your way into my heart and became the love of my life."

Marv could feel himself blushing in the cold night, their breath coming out in little puffs of white. "I love you too, Harry."

Harry grabbed Marv's hand and held onto it tightly. "I promise to be more open and affectionate with you, Marv. Because, it's not fair for you to be treated the way I've been treating you…. Now come on, we've got a nice kind-sized bed waitin' for us in a nice classy hotel…" He gave Marv another kiss on the lips before grabbing Marv by the collar and pulling him along. Marv was beyond talking; too blissfully happy as his eyes shone brightly with a goofy smile on his lips.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Twenty minutes later the two of them found each other sitting on their bed, both knowing what was about to take place. "Harry?"

Harry glanced over at Marv as he sat on the bed. "What?"

Harry didn't receive a verbal answer; instead he felt Marv's soft, slightly chapped lips kiss him on the lips. Harry's first instinct was to push him away as he felt Marv trail kisses along his jawline and behind his ear. However, he knew better than to do that. It would hurt Marv. Especially after he had just promised him he would try to be more open and affectionate with him minutes ago on the street.

There had once been a time when Harry and Marv fooled around all the time, but that had been before their time in jail. Harry wasn't entirely sure when it had happened but he just stopped feeling comfortable doing such things with Marv. Perhaps it had been all the jokes and ridicule the two of them had endured in jail. Their cell mates had been less than friendly. Perhaps it had also been the stress levels the two of them had been coping with lately. Stress had a way of messing with people. Whatever the reason was, Harry intended to stop it and get over it. He didn't want to hurt Marv anymore.

Marv was getting tired of waiting for Harry to react positively to his advances. He was losing hope that Harry truly did love him instead of seeing him as someone just to fool with when urges came along. He was very aware that Marv needed him; he was Marv's rock. Marv would be lost without him.

"Marv?"

"Yeah?" whispered Marv between kisses.

"I really am going to try harder at this. I'm going to try harder at our relationship and get over my paranoia. You really do mean a lot to me, Marv. Even if I don't always show it. I don't….I don't want to hurt you….." Harry explained the best way he could. He laid back on the bed, allowing Marv to slide up on top of him.

Marv stopped kissing him and looked down at him with a smile, his arms stretched out on either side of Harry and kept himself propped up. "That means so much to me, Harry. I appreciate the effort." He shifted his legs so that one of them was on each side of Harry. In the process, he knocked over the lamp on the bedside table. They both jumped at the noise. Marv looked back to see what had happened. "Whoops…" he guffawed, turning back to look down at Harry. "So much for me being suave and romantic…."

Harry rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Just shut up and kiss me!"

Marv didn't need to be told twice as he leaned down and kissed Harry on the lips once more. For the first time in what seemed like forever to Marv, Harry finally allowed him to have his way. He finally allowed Marv to kiss him fully and firmly on the lips; to touch him and press his own body up against him. The two of them spent the rest of the night together in the bed making love to one another. Both of them had made sure the "Do not Disturb" sign was placed outside the door of their hotel room. The two bandits planned to every last moment of this night together.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Author's Note: Well, there is chapter three. It took me a while to plan this one out, because I wanted it plotted out just right. I am very pleased with the result. This chapter was a little less comical and a little more emotional/serious. But I assure you, there are plenty more comedic moments coming in later chapters. Please review and let me know what you all think! -EricaX